This essay explores how humor, parody, and self-parody have shaped and reshaped the public image of the filmmaker Werner Herzog, especially since the 1990s and with the help of various spectators, particularly those who create and circulate their own images of the iconic German director. To see this dynamic at work, we have to look not only at Herzog’s films, but also at his many interviews and public appearances, at his performances in films made by other directors, at animated cartoons and reality TV programs, at Internet blogs and streaming videos, at comedy websites and live-comedy shows. Collectively, this material suggests that the revitalization of Herzog’s career in recent years has relied in part on humor and parody: that of the filmmaker and that of his audience.

The archaeological site of Dhiban, Jordan is characterized by a complex legacy of colonial dominance by foreign empires, with occupation ranging from the Late Bronze Age (1500-1200 BCE) into the present. This turbulent history is reflected in its archaeological record, necessitating a much greater detailed system of analysis than ‘standard’ analytical practices for unraveling site use. Using archaeological data excavated from Dhiban's Middle Islamic occupation (1000-1450 CE), this paper introduces the initial steps of a larger project assessing the cost-benefits of conducting a more detailed analysis of excavated site material against the more ‘standard’ processes of analysis. The introduced methods focus on a ‘micro-debris’ analysis, using items ranging between <4 mm and 1 mm in size, to be used in conjunction with the more standard ‘heavy fraction’ analysis of items >4 mm in size for site interpretation. Although this paper provides only preliminary data and a speculative interpretation designed only to demonstrate the use of these methods, it appears that ‘micro-debris’ does not simply reflect the types and quantities of artifacts appearing in the ‘heavy-fraction’ materials, but rather represents different types of site activities then those found in ‘standard’ analyzed samples. The larger project works to expand on the pilot study introduced in this paper and to construct a solid narrative on greater social and economic trends, including the impact of state actions on local communities throughout this tumultuous, arid region, providing a much more comprehensive understanding of the daily lives of the people of Jordan’s past.

Evidence of inter-individual differences in toxicant response has necessitated heavy editing of Paracelsus’ famous toxicological maxim “the dose makes the poison” to include factors such as age, sex, and timing of exposure. This dissertation takes advantage of a unique multigenerational, long-term cohort and advances in molecular technology to examine whether life stage and genetic factors also modify human sensitivity to toxic exposures, particularly with respect to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), a persistent organic pollutant with well-documented carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting effects in humans. Although increasing animal evidence supports the hypothesis that in utero exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds can have a long-term impact on the health of the 2nd and subsequent generations, the evidence in humans is limited. In addition, individuals may have differences in susceptibility to chemical exposure based on their genetic make-up.

On July 10, 1976, an explosion at a chemical plant near Seveso, Italy resulted in a toxic plume that exposed nearby residents to high levels of TCDD. The Seveso Women’s Health Study (SWHS), an ambidirectional cohort study, was initiated in 1996 to investigate the health of 981 women who were newborn to age 40 years in 1976, had resided in the immediate vicinity of the plant, and had archived samples of blood collected soon after the explosion. The SWHS is the only comprehensive study of the health effects of TCDD exposure in a female population, and has the unique benefit of measurements of individual-level TCDD in blood collected near the time of the explosion. In 2014, 611 offspring of the SWHS who were born after the accident, and potentially exposed to their mother’s TCDD body burdens in utero were enrolled.

The first two chapters examine the neurotoxic effects of TCDD during windows of susceptibility in utero and later in life when hormonal processes potentially sensitive to TCDD’s estrogenic influence are driving brain changes. In particular, chapter 1 investigates TCDD and cognitive and physical functioning in SWHS women decades after their direct exposure to the accident and the modifying effects of menarche and menopause. Chapter 2 addresses the relation between neuropsychological function in 7-17 year old offspring (n=161) with respect to their mother’s 1976 exposures and maternal levels estimated at the time of pregnancy. Lastly, Chapter 3 examines genetic susceptibility in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a key transcription factor in the metabolism of TCDD and other xenobiotics in humans. Specifically, we conducted a gene-by-environment (GxE) analysis to evaluate the modifying effect of genetic polymorphisms in maternal AhR on the relationship between maternal TCDD levels and child birthweight, an indicator of a restricted fetal environment. The SWHS Second Generation Study in conjunction with the parent SWHS offers a rich dataset in which to explore windows of neurotoxic and genetic susceptibility to TCDD across the lifecourse and test the fetal origins of disease hypothesis.